Ballard adds Sanchez, Sheen to coaching staff

SAN ANTONIO — Head soccer coach Steve Ballard announced Monday the addition of assistant coaches Stephanie Sanchez and Greg Sheen to his program. The pair will begin their duties immediately.

“I am very pleased to add two assistant coaches with as much knowledge and experience as Stephanie and Greg possess,” Ballard said. “Both have excellent backgrounds and worked extremely hard to get to this point. There is no doubt in my mind that they will make our program better as we move forward.”

Sanchez comes to UTSA after serving as the associate head coach at Western Texas College in the spring. Prior to that she spent five seasons coaching at Angelo State (three as an assistant/two as a graduate assistant), where she mentored the Rambelles goalkeepers and served as the team’s recruiting and video coordinator.

Under her tutelage, Danielle Edwards earned Lone Star Conference (LSC) Goalkeeper of the Year and first-team all-conference honors in 2012.

In 2010, she helped guide Angelo State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance as the squad set records for most wins (13) and shutouts (9) in a campaign. That season, the Rambelles were led by goalie and two-time second-team all-conference selection Melanie Peterson, who owns the school record for goals-against average.

A four-year starter at Eastern New Mexico from 2004-07, Sanchez was a LSC honorable mention selection and team captain in her final two seasons. The Belen, N.M., native was a three-time member of the LSC's Commissioner's Honor Roll, she earned team Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 & '06 and is the the program's career record-holder with 397 saves.

Sanchez, who holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) C coaching license, graduated from Eastern New Mexico in 2008 with a psychology and sociology degree before earning her master’s degree in applied psychology from Angelo State two years later.

“I am very excited to be part of the UTSA soccer coaching staff,” Sanchez said. “I would like to thank Coach Ballard for giving me this opportunity and I am looking forward to working with our student-athletes.”

Sheen joins the staff after spending the previous three seasons as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Wright State. He helped lead the Raiders to 30 wins and a pair of appearances in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game (2011-12) during his three campaigns.

Before his time at Wright State, Sheen was the 2004 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year at Morehead State where he guided the squad to a 9-9-1 record, which marked the sixth most-improved Division I ledger in the country.

In addition to his stint at Morehead State, the Arlington native also has served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Dayton (1999-2003), Texas (2005-06) and Miami (Fla.) (2008-09). He helped guide those squads to a total of five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a spot in the 2001 Sweet Sixteen with the Flyers.

Prior to his coaching career, Sheen played professional soccer with the A-League’s Atlanta Ruckus during the outdoor season, while spending indoor campaigns with the Atlanta Attack of the National Premier Soccer League.

Sheen, who has a USSF B coaching license, earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in sport management from Dayton in 2003.

He is married to the former Gena Draney and the couple has seven children: Meghan, Hannah, Catherine, Chelsee, Brandon, Dakota and Sierra.

"I want to thank Coach Ballard for providing me the opportunity to return to my home state of Texas as a member of his staff,” Sheen said. “I did a lot of research and spoke to several of my coaching colleagues who are familiar with the UTSA program and they all spoke very highly of Coach Ballard and his group of very talented players. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming season."